Bishop Museum Hosts Maui Event on Legacy of Hawaiian Hats

Papale from the lauhala collection of Maui weaver, Pohaku Kaho`ohanohano. File photo by Wendy Osher.

By Wendy Osher

Cultural specialists from the Bishop Museum will visit Maui in February to gather documentation and share knowledge as they create a new exhibit focusing on the legacy of Hawaiian hats.

The Hawaiian plaiting exhibition, entitled, ‘Ike Pāpale, The Living Legacy of Hawaiian Hats, is made possible through a grant from the National Endowment of the Arts.

The public is encouraged to come down for the one-day event on Friday, February 10, 2012, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Kaunoa Senior Center in Paia.

The community is invited to bring their Hawaiian woven materials for identification and documentation as well as share personal and or family stories related to Hawaiian weaving.

A display on Hawaiian weaving will on exhibit, with staff available to answer questions and speak on the subject of Hawaiian weaving.   The small display will feature Hawaiian woven materials from personal collections as well as items from the Bishop Museum, including hats, mats, fans, baskets, tools, and forms.  Historic and modern images of hats and hats in use will also be displayed for the Maui event.

Marques Hanalei Marzan, Bishop Museum’s project manager for the ‘Ike Pāpale project, will be present, along with Vice President of Cultural Resources, Betty Lou Kam, who will discuss the items on display.

Stations will also be set up to document individual’s stories through oral history interviews as well as identify and document Hawaiian woven materials brought to the event.

Staff from the University of Hawaii at Mānoa, Hawai’inuiākea, School of Hawaiian Knowledge, will handle the oral history interviews; and staff from the Michigan State Museum, will help with documentation of Hawaiian woven material.

The Maui event is the first official event in a series of Discovery Days planned for this project.  Other sessions will be announced at a later date.

The Bishop Museum is recognized as the principal museum of the Pacific, housing the world’s largest collection of Hawaiian and Pacific artifacts and natural history specimens.